COURSE CURRICULUM

The Bachelor of Design at Flinders University is structured to provide a comprehensive combination of creative, technical, and entrepreneurial skills over three years, preparing students to transform innovative ideas into practical, commercially viable products. In the first year, students build foundational knowledge through core topics in design communication, professional skills, and engineering design. They also study mathematics, data science, or biostatistics, along with innovation and enterprise subjects such as agile innovation for STEM. Additional topics in science, engineering, or business allow students to apply their developing design skills to a chosen field, establishing a strong interdisciplinary base.In the second year, students deepen their expertise with core topics in innovation management, design for manufacture, and design methods. They explore entrepreneurship and small business, business planning for new ventures, strategic marketing, consumer behaviour, and social or information networks. Further study in innovation and enterprise helps students develop skills in co-creation, crowdsourcing, technology-led innovation, and opportunity validation. Students continue to integrate their design skills with a chosen field in science or engineering, ensuring practical applicability and relevance to industry needs.The third year focuses on capstone experiences and professional preparation. Students undertake a design studio project, an integrated high-technology consulting project in collaboration with a company, providing real-world experience in design application and problem-solving. A 12-week practical work placement in Australia or overseas further enhances professional readiness. Students also engage with advanced topics in innovation and enterprise, developing skills in business model design, commercialisation, and launching new ventures. Throughout the program, students consistently apply design skills within a specific field of science or engineering, ensuring that they graduate with a robust combination of creative, technical, and entrepreneurial competencies, ready to enter industries that demand innovation, practical problem-solving, and the ability to turn ideas into tangible, market-ready solutions.